Board Member Fredia Outlaw resigned from the Hospital Authority Board on Thursday, citing “grave concerns” about the board, according to a resignation letter obtained by The Tennessean on Monday.

“I believe in a focus on both process and outcomes in keeping with principals and practice that ensure integrity,” Outlaw said. “I strongly believe that the current process of review and renew of Dr. Webb’s contract is seriously flawed.”

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Joseph Webb, CEO of Nashville General Hospital, speaks during an interview in his office Dec. 12, 2017.(Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)

Board members voted to offer a vague, three-year contract to hospital CEO Joseph Webb during a board meeting on May 31. The vote had originally been planned for June, but board members who supported Webb made an abrupt decision to vote two weeks early, before Webb’s performance evaluation had been completed and made public. The contract was approved with no information on duties or compensation, and the board is set to finalize the details of the contract on Monday night.

The decision to offer Webb this new contract was made by a shorthanded board with four empty seats. Two board members, Harry Allen and Sara Finely, had recently resigned, and two more members, Outlaw and Dr. Michele Williams, were absent after being told specifically that the CEO vote would occur in June.

Williams has also resigned from the board, telling The Tennessean she now had “trust issues” with other board members. In her resignation letter, also released on Monday, Williams alleges that Webb’s evaluation has been essentially complete since last year, but the hospital has not made it public because it is “not favorable” and officials worry it will jeopardize hospital funding.

The Tennessean requested the evaluation last week, but hospital public relations officials refused to release it.

Dr. Jan Brandes, the former chairwoman, resigned from her post at the end of the May 31st meeting. Brandes has not responded to multiple request for comment.

Webb was hired in 2015 to stabilize the facility, but the hospital continued to struggle financially under his leadership. An independent audit made public last year revealed the hospital failed at basic bookkeeping and was unable to keep track of patient payments and major expenses. In the past month, both hospital officials and the mayor’s office have said the facility is now financially more steady.

Webb is currently under a six-month contract that expires at the end of June. Until recently, the decision on whether to give him a new contract hinged on a performance evaluation, which has been in the works since last year and appears to be complete. Board members are scheduled to review and approve the evaluation during a special meeting on Monday night.

Reach Dave Boucher at dboucher@tennessean.com or 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1. Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com.